Vows, Woes, Changes, and Blisses
by ograndebatata
Summary: Now a queen and a mother, Elena Castillo Flores is watching as her little sister is getting married. It seems a perfect day for happiness, but even without villains lurking about, there are always ghosts rearing their ugly heads. Fortunately, neither of the sisters has to fight them alone.


_Author's note: I started posting this fic on AO3 some months ago, and now decided to post it here as well._

 _As I say in my note there, although this fic uses characters from both Elena of Avalor and Sofia the First, it leans more to the Elena of Avalor side. This is the reason why it is not labeled as a crossover on this site._

 _Also... this story takes place in the 'future universe' of my personal continuity for the series, which by now has pre-emptively become an AU, so to speak. I tried my best to make this story strong enough to stand on its own, but if you have any questions please feel free to ask them._

 _I hope you enjoy it, but if you don't, feel free to tell me why._

 _As I said on AO3, (hopefully) happy reading!_

* * *

 **Chapter 1 - Sisterly reminders**

 _About 17 years after Elena was freed from the Amulet of Avalor..._

Queen Elena Castillo Flores of Avalor was no stranger to pre-wedding jitters.

She had caught glimpses of them during her 41 years of confinement in a magical amulet.

She had seen them with her own eyes before the weddings of many of her friends.

She had felt them personally when she got married.

But there was something indescribable about seeing her sister standing not teen feet away, surrounded by her five bridesmaids ('Three bridesmaids and two bridesmatrons.' Elena could mentally hear Isa correcting) as they yet again went over her look to check for any flaw that might have escaped them on previous examinations.

Elena couldn't put it to words if she tried, and she felt no need to. But there was no escaping the fact it somehow seemed… unreal.

Yes, she had known it was coming.

She had known of the relationship since its earliest stages.

She had been the second person Isa had told about the proposal.

And she had been a part of the wedding preparations, even if she was literally sitting out of this particular part thanks to her condition.

But for whatever reason, it only sank in now, as she sat on a chair watching Tomiko, Amara, Caterina, Estrella and Cristina gathered around Isabel as they double-checked everything for the supposedly last time, though her sister had already labeled the previous two double-checks as the last one.

 _Some things never change._ Elena thought as a smile came to her face. _Even if Isa herself has._

Her smile dimmed. Were they really at this point already?

It seemed like it had been yesterday that she had rushed to hug Isa after Mateo had released her and their grandparents from the painting. The memories the two of them had made since then - their work on the Presto Changer, their conversation on the first Dia de los Muertos after Elena's exit from the amulet, their adventure in the Crystal Caverns, their hug after Isabel went to the Science Fair with her Exer Groomer, their trips to Vallestrella with Migs' children, and all the others - felt as fresh as if they had just taken place.

They hadn't. And Elena knew it. But to think seventeen years could go by so fast… How could it be?

"There."

Cristina's sentence made Elena start as if coming out of a trance, right on time to see Isa's bridal party moving away to give Isa room to check on her appearance, and enabling Elena to properly see her sister for the first time since they had gathered around here.

Elena's smile glowed brighter again.

It might be bias talking, but her sister looked like the most beautiful bride Elena had ever seen. There was no point in singling out an element of her appearance. Everything, from the goldenrod thread spun into her white dress to the hairclip of jaquin feathers that Migs' children had donated, was something that both reflected who and what Isabel was and yet made her look more beautiful than Elena had ever seen her.

But rather than deem the job as done, Isa turned to the full length mirror behind her and started moving her eyes over her reflection, her face set into the same look of concentration she had when she went over her inventions to make sure each piece of the mechanism was in its proper place.

After moving her eyes over her reflection so many time in such a short interval that it was a wonder she didn't fall from dizziness, Isabel turned to her bridesmaids and bridesmatrons.

"How am I?"

"Amazing, Isa!" Tomiko squealed. "Your man won't know what hit him the moment you want down the aisle!"

The others rolled their eyes in amusement at the remark, but Isabel only frowned in uncertainty.

"You look great, Isa!" Estrella piped in.

"More beautiful than an _Alaeangelus divinas_ ," Caterina added.

Elena had no idea what that was, but Cristina and Tomiko nodded in enthusiastic agreement, and while Amara and Estrella seemed just as clueless as her, their reassuring smiles conveyed just the same feeling.

It seemed not to be enough for Isa, though, who once more turned to the full length mirror and started checking her reflection in such a frantic and at the same time focused manner that it really seemed she would fall over from dizziness.

Tinges of hurt started to creep onto her bridesmaids and bridesmatrons' faces, as Elena narrowed her eyes at the sight. Isa might be a perfectionist, but if she kept insisting on performing a final check after three previous ones - aided by five more pairs of eyes, one of which belonged to a jaquin - hadn't found anything to fix, there had to be something wrong, and not with the outfit.

The instant Elena had that thought, Isa's eyes shifted from focused to almost desperate, as if at least part of her actually wanted to find a flaw in her appearance. Something was wrong.

 _Point confirmed._

The others must have noticed as well, as the hurt had vanished from their faces to be replaced with concern. After an exchange of looks between them, Cristina moved her wheelchair forward. Isa shook as the wheels' squeak brought her from her frantic search.

"What's wrong, Isa?" she asked.

Isa's eyes darted about the whole room before she replied.

"Something is. Come on, let's check everything again."

The others exchanged looks again, this time of a very unconvinced sort, before Estrella spoke up.

"But Isa, we have already checked everything three times."

"And I still feel we're missing something!" Isabel insisted. "Come on, let's check everything once more!"

None of them exchanged glances with any of the others this time around. Elena readied herself to stand up, though she didn't do so just yet. She had promised to take it easy because of her condition, and while there seemed to be no need for it yet, it would be better not to worsen the situation by adding concern for her to Isa's turmoil.

This time, Tomiko was the one to speak up as she stepped forward and laid a comforting hand on Isa's shoulder - carefully for not to ruffle the dress.

"What could we have missed?" she asked in a gentle tone, her voice so quiet and subdued it almost didn't sound like her own. "We found nothing to change on the previous three times. You look great."

"Tomiko's right, Isa," Caterina put in, her voice just as reassuring. "There's no need to change anything. You look incredible as you are."

"And you know Desmond will think you look incredible even if you show up like you just came from a hike through the jungle," Cristina added. For further effect, she held Isa's hand between both of hers and smiled at her honorary sister.

Isa started opening her mouth, but her matron of honor's words seemed to have stolen something from her, for instead of replying her eyes started darting about the room, as if trying to look everywhere but at her friends.

This definitely wasn't about any flaws Isa was afraid her appearance might have. But then what..

Elena's chain of thoughts broke as Isa's eyes met hers for an instant, and guilt flashed in them. Elena's eyes narrowed. She knew her sister well enough to know she hadn't been seeing things. But why would Isa...

Elena's mouth opened in a silent gasp as the answer hit her.

How could she have missed it before? Had she been too lost in her own feelings of her sister getting married? Had Isa somehow been so incredibly adept at hiding her feelings that even Elena had missed them at first? Or had those thoughts only struck Isa now?

Either way, the answer didn't change Isa's current feelings, or the jab of sadness at Elena's heart upon the realization.

Nor did, it seemed, stop another blow from jabbing farther down.

Elena put her hand to it to rub over the spot, trying her best to think comforting thoughts.

Meanwhile, Isa kept looking everywhere but her friends or sister.

After the others had another exchange of glances, Amara spoke up.

"What is it, Isa?"

Amara's tone and face were gentle, but Elena winced upon seeing the look on Isa's face, a heartbeat before a scream exploded out of her mouth.

"Can you just shut up?" She turned to them and threw her hands into the ceiling. "I asked you to help me double-check things again, not to needle me like deaf chickens! If you can't do that, then get out!"

Elena let out a silent gasp again, as looks of shock came to the others' faces, exactly as Isa's own look of shock dwarfed all the others as she put her hands to her mouth, before raising them in appeasement.

"Sorry! Sorry! I didn't mean it, I promise! It's just…" Her eyes started to glisten. "It's just…" She glanced at Elena again, guilt flashing across her eyes once more. "It's just…"

Unable to finish her sentence, she looked down, her eyes pressed shut. Her five friends gathered around her, Amara laying her hands on Isa's left arm, Tomiko standing to Isa's right and putting an arm over her shoulders, Caterina holding Isa's right hand, Cristina holding the left one, and Estrella managing to squeeze in to rub her head against Isa's belly as she purred.

Isa could only press her eyes further shut.

After giving the others a few seconds to show Isa they had no hard feelings, Elena stood up. Enough was enough.

"Girls, can you leave us for a bit?"

The others nodded in agreement as they granted Elena's request. But from the look she gave them as Amara wheeled her out, Elena knew that at least Cristina had also realized what was going on.

 _Of course she does._ Elena thought. Like her, Cristina could also relate to this issue.

She waited until Tomiko closed the door, and then moved to Isa, who kept looking at the ground, still with her eyes pressed shut, but with two streaks of ruined makeup where tears had run down her face.

Elena's heart grew heavier - and farther down, there was a stirring on her belly.

Elena put her hand to it in order to settle that restlessness down, and then, as gently as she could, she put her fingers under Isa's chin and, with a feather-light touch, turned her head upwards. Her sister's eyes were already beginning to grow red, with more tears glistening at their corners.

"I think we need to talk," she said. "Come, sit here."

When Isabel didn't protest, Elena lead her over to the couch on the corner of the room and helped her to sit, before sinking down onto it herself as gently as possible.

"What's wrong?"

It was a pointless question. Elena knew the answer, and if she had to guess Isa knew she did. But her sister simply looked aside and asked, "Didn't you hear what I told them?"

Elena put a hand on her sister's shoulder. "Isa, even they didn't fall for you only wanting to check your looks once again. And I'm your sister. I've known you since you were hours old." She squeezed her sister's shoulder. "What's wrong?"

Isa sighed as if Elena had pressed a painful wound. Elena rubbed her shoulder for reassurance. "You know you can tell me anything. Don't you?"

At long last, her sister looked back up at her. Elena saw another tear trickling down her left cheek. "I do, Elena. But…"

"But?"

"But it's not fair," Isabel finished with as much effort as if she had to pull one of her own teeth. "What I'm feeling doesn't compare to what you must have felt when you got married."

Elena scooted closer to her sister and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"This is not a competition. You're in pain, and you need to let it out."

"But how about you?"

"I had people to share my pain with as well," Elena reassured with a smile, even as the memory of her own pain caused her heart to grow heavier again. "But even if I hadn't, that's not the point. I'd never close myself to your or anyone else's pain just because I had no one to share mine with." She again turned Isa's face back up to her. "You know that, don't you?"

If Elena's question about what was up had been pointless, this one was even more so. After everything they had been through, Elena knew that Isa had no doubts her big sister would always be there for her.

Still, Isabel replied, "I know. I just…"

She looked down at the hem of her dress, blinking repeatedly as if trying to clear her eyes. Then she took a deep breath, as if trying to inhale a bag full of sand, looked up to Elena with wide child-like eyes, and finally voiced her affliction.

"I wish they were here as well."

Elena sighed as the weight in her chest grew. She knew who Isa was talking about. Mami. Papi. Abuelo Francisco. Abuela Luisa. Esteban.

All people both of them missed dearly.

And all people who had not lived to see Elena's wedding either.

Elena pushed away the flood of memories of that day and the moments of struggle that had accompanied it. Despite what she knew of the afterlife and the fact she had gotten to talk to all of them more than once on Dia de los Muertos, she still missed them.

She couldn't imagine what it was like for Isa, who had no such knowledge and would never be able to see them again until…

Elena cut off the train of thoughts there. That would not be happening as long as she had something to say or do about it.

Again pushing a wave of unpleasant thoughts away, Elena held Isa's hand.

"They are here, Isa." She pressed her hand below her sister's collarbone. "Right here."

Her sister gave a tiny, mirthless smile as tears again started flowing down her face. Then her shoulders started shaking. Elena wrapped her arms around her sister and drew her in, feeling her sister respond in kind as her whole body now shook. Elena hummed and murmured as she ran her fingers along her sister's hair.

"I just miss them so much…" Isa sobbed. "How can I get through this without them?"

Elena carefully pulled away from Isa, still keeping her hands on her shoulders. "Just remember this: wherever they are, they're watching. And I know they're just as happy for you as me, as the rest of your family, as all your friends."

She flinched at the end of her sentence, as a particularly strong kick came from below her, as if to compensate for the time her constant charge had remained still. Unable to hold back a smile, she looked down, put a hand to her pregnant belly, and said, "Yes, you also count."

In spite of the sadness of moment, she couldn't help a tiny grin. Even about two months before being born, her youngest child already wanted to affirm herself.

A hint of joy returning to her face, Isa put a hand to Elena's belly and smiled at it as if she could see the unborn child and was thanking it for the support. Then, as if catching herself, she pulled it back, guilt and sadness creeping back onto her face.

"I know that. But it's not the same thing," she said.

Elena again put her hand to her sister's chin. "I know how you feel. But think about what you already have. Would you want to give it up because of what you don't have? Don't you think that would make them all even sadder? Wouldn't it make you even sadder?"

At Elena's words, some sadness returned to Isa's face, but it was of a different kind, and joined by fear. Elena knew such a face well - it was of the kind she had whenever she imagined her life without her family, both the one she had been born with and the one she had built.

Putting her hand back on her sister's shoulder, Elena finished, "However else they feel, they're all so happy that you have found someone you love, someone you want to share your life with, someone who wants to share his life with you in just the same way. And you know that, don't you?"

After some seconds of consideration, her sister nodded.

"And you're happy for all that also, aren't you?"

This time, there was no hesitation. Isabel nodded again, her eyes now dry and a smile back on her face.

"Then don't give it up. There's nothing wrong with being happy."

Once more, her sister remained still, as if making sure she took in everything.

After a long moment of silence Elena decided not to break, Isa's smile widened. Then, she lunged forward and engulfed Elena in a hug. Elena returned it, and smiled also at not feeling any new tears soaking through her dress.

"Now come on, it's time for you to get married!"

"You mean it will be after you fix your makeup," her sister retorted as she pulled away.

"Look who's talking," Elena countered with a smirk that matched her sister's.

After a round of laughter at their corny joke, Isa turned to the closed door.

"You can come back in!"

Her three bridesmaids and two bridesmatrons walked in through the now open door, their eyes widening at the new state Isa had gotten in. Again, she looked aside for a few moments, before putting her best appeasing and innocent smile, a sight that could only get Elena to giggle.

But her mirth faded as she heard more footsteps from beyond the still open door, and a few seconds later, her husband walked in, tamborita in his hand, a concerned look on his face.

As the others gathered around Isa and began the job of fixing up her sister's appearance, Elena stood up and walked over to Mateo.

"Something wrong?" she asked.

"Not where I came from," Mateo replied, a concerned look on his face.

Elena smiled and replied, "Not here anymore either."

Mateo's eyes fell on the smudges on her shoulder, and Elena could see his eyes light up as he worked out everything that had happened.

 _What happened?_ She read in his expression.

She raised a hand in response. _Later._ She told him with her eyes only.

Any questions he had never came out. He didn't even nod. But Elena knew he had understood.

"Where are the children?" she asked, though she knew Mateo would never leave them unattended before coming here.

"Candida is with Val and Manuel, Alex with Naomi and Marzel, and no prizes for guessing who Leonor and Lucero are with."

Elena rolled her eyes. She could indeed imagine who her two youngest born children were with, not to mention his reaction at having them cling to him like they did at every available chance. But seeing what her husband had just walked himself into, she slid closer to him and whispered with her best seductive grin, "None at all?"

Mateo rolled his eyes as he pretended to mull it over, before he replied with a whisper of his own, "Well, maybe a participation prize before we go to sleep."

"That's good. Because I already guessed."

With a grin of his own, Mateo added, "And if you're interested, there's an early sampling if you guess how he feels that they chose him to look after them while I came here."

Elena smirked as she walked out of the door.

"Sometimes you make it too easy," she stated as Mateo pulled the door closed behind them.

"What can I say?" he replied. "I enjoy these just as much as you."

Elena could think of more than a few answers to such a remark. But she held back any verbal ones and just raised a hand to her husband's face as they started indulging in the sampling he had promised.

* * *

 _So... this is it. I don't know when the next part will come (it has already taken too long) but I hope it won't take too much longer._

 _In the meantime, I hope you've enjoyed it!_


End file.
